Surf to Salt board race in Hayle
Posted on July 25, 2013 - Filed Under Stand Up Paddling, Surftech Boards | By Surf Commission
Surf to Salt Race
Wednesday night was the annual Surf to Salt board race in Hayle, Cornwall. This event is race between a mixture of surf lifesaving and SUP racers. With some of the best board paddlers from Australia over working for the lifeguards service this summer this year’s event was full of quality.
From the start we had strong tail wind out to the marker buoy about 800 meters out from the beach start. I had positioned myself on the opposite side of the start line to the other Sup racers in order to avoid them sitting on my wash.
Having a solid start and using the small runs going out I was clear by the time I turned the marker.
After turning back up the estuary we had a really strong head wind causing a lot of chop and making it hard to get into a good rhythm. At the half waypoint I was still well clear of the other SUP racers but two prone paddlers were catching me as I struggled into the head wind. They closed the gap and sat on my wash as I dragged them up into the harbour and into some shelter from the wind. Finally moving across to the other side of the harbour out of the wind I started trying to pick up the pace and just as it did I got some weed caught on my fin. I frantically rocked my board trying to get the weed to release but no joy.
Up to the top of the harbor and into the 300m finishing straight I got the weed to release just in time as Cam and Charlie started to attack me. Hurting a bit from the going as hard as I could to stay in front with the drag of the weed I again had to try and up the pace for the sprint into the finish to win by a board length.
Ollie Shilston – Surftech Team Rider
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